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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Corned Beef and Vegetables

A corned beef dinner can be cooked in a slow cooker, on top
of the stove, in a pressure cooker, or even baked. I prefer it cooked in water,
so I won’t talk about baking it. Whether you use the slow cooker, the pressure
cooker, or a pot on top of the stove, it’s pretty much the same. You cover the
corned beef with water, add some seasonings, and simmer it gently until it’s
fall apart tender. You can cook it all day in the slow cooker on low or for one
hour in the pressure cooker or for a few hours in a pot on top of the stove.
Most people cook the veggies – carrots and onion for sure, and maybe celery,
parsnips, or rutabagas, and probably potatoes – with the meat and then add the
cabbage for the last half hour or so.

When I cooked corned beef a couple of weeks ago (it was
leftover from when it was on sale a year ago and really needed to be used), I
cooked it in the pressure cooker. When it was done, I took it out of the liquid
and set it aside to rest. Then I took some of the liquid and cooked some
Brussels sprouts and carrots in it. By the time the vegetables were done, the
meat had rested enough that it was much easier to cut, and the vegetables
weren’t cooked to death. It worked great.

In case you didn’t catch it – be sure to let the corned beef
rest for a bit before you cut it. You want to slice it across the grain and it
will fall apart if you cut it immediately. After fifteen minutes or so, it
should stay together pretty well so you can make nice thin slices. About a
quarter of an inch or so seems to be standard for slicing corned beef to eat as
a meat dish on its own.

Here are some things to do with corned beef, in addition to
the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage. You can use leftover corned beef in
them, or you can cook up a chunk of corned beef special to use in these
recipes. And don’t forget corned beef sandwiches. Corned beef on rye, with
Swiss cheese and mustard. Or a Reuben sandwich, with sauerkraut and Thousand
Island dressing. If you’re planning on leftovers, remember that there’s a lot
of shrinkage. You’ll need to start with twice as much as you need cooked. Need more options? Try